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P assionate erformances Th e Water Music Festival presents marvelous music on the Long Beach Peninsula Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9 and 10 T Take note — no, make that, take many notes. No pencil, pens or paper needed; listening is the only pleasurable requirement. Well, maybe a couple of toe taps and approving nods, swoons and sways. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9 and 10 on the Long Beach Pen- insula, the Water Music Festival will ¿ ll the autumn air with an abundance of musical notes and styles aplenty. “I know, I know, I know. Ev- ery year I say this is the best year ever,” says Water Music Festival Chairwoman Diane Marshall. “But what a great thing to be able to say.” At 7 p.m. Friday, this year’s lineup kicks off at the Inn at Har- bour Village in Ilwaco, Washing- ton. University of Oregon a cap- pella group On the Rocks blends a dozen male voices in close and clever harmony. In case “a cappella” sounds familiar but you can’t quite remember why, the Italian musical term means “without instrumental accompa- niment.” There’s de¿ nitely no need, as this vocal group mixes energy, zeal, high notes, low notes and in-the-middle notes. Oh, there’s dancing too: chore- ography ¿ lled with sly antics and some way-smooth moves. This performance has something for everybody and a wide appeal to all ages. Formed in 1999, OTR mem- bers are students at the Universi- ty of Oregon. The original group graduated, but each new year brings on new recruits. In 2010 the group went viral with two YouTube videos. First “Subway Rick Roll,” reached over one million viewers. Next came their interpretation of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” To date (at last check anyway), that perfor- mance had 5,765,549 hits. Five albums later plus a runner up’s spot on NBC’s a cappella reality competition “The Sing Off,” the group’s tagline remains “Talent never graduates.” A nonpro¿ t, the Water Music Festival Society aims to provide high-quality, affordable music programs for residents and vis- itors. It seeks to expand cultural opportunities for the community, increase awareness of diverse types of music, and support mu- sic education in the local schools. That last goal is easily in ev- idence with this year’s festival. “Friday morning will ¿ nd On the Rocks doing our in- school outreach,” Marshall says. “Rachel Lake is our upper and lower schools’ music teacher. She is somewhat of a legend herself for her musical talents and dedication to our schools’ healthy and burgeoning music programs. I’ve never seen her more excited than she is about the students and this year’s out- reach.” The festival concerts con- tinue noon Saturday in the historic Oysterville, Washing- ton, church, world-renowned classical Spanish guitarist Paul Galbraith performs on his eight-string Brahms guitar, which he literally played a role in developing. Classical guitars the arts VISUAL ARTS • LITERATURE • THEATER • MUSIC & MORE Story by MARILYN GILBAUGH normally have six strings. Gal- braith’s eight-string guitar has an additional high string plus its additional low string. His guitar is also supported by a metal endpin, similar to a cel- lo, and rests on a wooden reso- nance box when he plays. In 1998, this skilled guitarist was a Grammy Award nominee and named one of Billboard’s “Top Ten” artists of the year for his critically acclaimed re- cordings. Works from classical masters along with folk tunes showcase his musical person- ality. At 17, Galbraith took part in the ¿ rst Segovia Internation- al Guitar Competition held in Kent, England. The youngest competitor from 14 countries, he won the silver medal. An- dres Segovia, regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, said to the press follow- ing the competition, “Paul is magni¿ cent. He will be a great artist.” Segovia was spot on. The Water Music Festival continues Saturday evening at the north end of the peninsula. The private Leadbetter Farms estate will open its gates to ticket holders at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., professional concert sax- ophonist Ashu will perform for 100 guests in a theater. Defying convention, Ashu made his recital debut at Carn- egie Hall at age 16. He contin- ues to win major international awards and competitions that are traditionally awarded to pianists and violinists. Ashu will be accompanied by pianist Alexandre Moutouzkine, who, Submitted photo University of Oregon’s male a cappella group On the Rocks will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 at the Inn at Harbour Village in Ilwaco, Washington. Submitted photo Concert saxophonist Ashu will perform a sold-out Water Music Festival concert at 6 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Leadbetter Farms Light- house. like Ashu, claims top prizes in competition both nationally and internationally. The only downside to Ashu’s appearance is that un- less you already have tickets for his performance, you’re out of luck; that ¿ nal Water Music Festival concert has been sold out for months. The upside, though, is all the other aspects of the 31-year-old music festival. Performers, past and present, line up, vying each year to perform. And an army of seasoned volunteers gladly offer assistance wherever and when- ever needed to get the shows to where they need to be. Area locals lodge and feed the musicians, and they don’t hesitate to provide transporta- tion. “Our volunteers do just about anything they can to help out. Then the musicians put the icing on the cake so to speak,” says Marshall. All in all, everyone involved comes together to create yet an- other year of magical music. Submitted photo World-renowned classical and Spanish guitarist Paul Galbraith will perform at noon Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Oysterville Church as part of the Water Music Festival. Water Music Festival concerts On the Rocks 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 Inn at Harbour Village 120 Williams Ave. N.E., Ilwaco, Washington www.watermusicfestival.com $35 Paul Galbraith Noon Saturday, Oct. 10 Oysterville Church 33590 Territory Road, Oyster- ville, Washington $25 October 8, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 9